ISLAMABAD, Dec 9 (APP): At least one Rangers personnel
sustained sever wounds in a roadside blast in Hyderabad today
(Friday).
According to Private News Channel, the bomb was planted in a
bicycle which exploded when Rangers’ vehicle was passing through
Tando Jam University Road.
Getting information about the incident, rescue teams arrived
at the scene and shifted the injured official to the nearby
hospital.
Moreover, investigation into the incident has been launched.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 9 (APP): Pakistan is currently working to meet the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) criteria and parameters to formally apply for accession to its Convention on Combating Bribery.
This was stated by Finance Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar during
his bilateral meeting with, Secretary General, OECD, Angel Gurria in Paris. This was his second meeting with OECD Secretary General in the last three months.
The Finance Minister informed the Secretary General that the OECD
Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, which he signed on 14th September, 2016 in Paris has been ratified by the Pakistani Cabinet.
He added that Pakistan Cabinet also authorised the Finance Minister for
processing Pakistan’s membership to Open Government Partnership (OGP).
Accordingly, he handover Pakistani’s Letter of Intent for joining OGP to
the French President Franois Hollande in the OGP Global Summit held in Paris.
Secretary General OECD welcomed Pakistan’s membership to OGP which
coupled with Pakistan’s active engagement with OECD clearly demonstrated Pakistan’s commitment to join the international mainstream fora to adopt their best practices and to a transparent and accountable governing structure.
He invited Pakistan to join OECD Development Centre and offered OECD’s
technical help for developing Pakistan’s National Action Plan for OGP
Earlier, the Finance Minister met with Sir Eric Pickels, Head of UK Anti-Corruption on the sidelines of OGP Summit. Sir Eric congratulated the Finance Minister on joining OGP.
The Minister informed Sir Eric that Pakistan was the first country to
issue a Tax Directory of parliamentarians and the fourth country to publish General Tax Directory of tax payers for the three consecutive years. They also discussed matters relating to transparency and good governance.
Denis Simonneau, the Head of European and International Relations, ENGIE, a leading French energy company also called on the Finance minister at the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris and expressed interest of his corporate group to cooperate in the field of energy in Pakistan.
All the meetings were also attended by Tariq Bajwa Secretary
Economic Affairs Division, Pakistan, Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque and Embassy team.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): The prolonged dry spell is forecast to break this weekend as the upper parts of the country including upper Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Quetta division are to receive the much awaited rain and snowfalls.
Deputy Director, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Muhammad Irfan Virk on Thursday said that rain-thunderstorm was expected at isolated places in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Lahore and Faisalabad divisions and in Quetta and Zhob divisions from Saturday
evening to Monday.
He said rain with snowfall over the hills was also likely at scattered places of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from Saturday evening to Monday due to the westerly wave entering Pakistan on Saturday.
A drizzle could occur along the Sindh-Makran coast during the same period.
Meanwhile, mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next 24 hours. Dense foggy conditions are to prevail over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during night and morning hours.
The following minimum temperatures were recorded on Thursday:
Skardu -6 C, Hunza -4 C, Gilgit -2 C, Qalat 0 C, Chitral 1 C, Quetta 2 C, Murree 3 C, Islamabad 5 C, Muzaffarabad 6 C, Peshawar 7 C, Faisalabad 10 C, Lahore 11 C and Karachi 15 C.
MULTAN, Dec 8 (APP): Chief selector and former Paksitan cricket team
captain Inzimam-ul-Haq has said that High Performance Cricket Center (HPCC) will be helpful in hunting new talent while all types of facilities will be provided to players at the center.
He expressed these views while addressing the inauguration ceremony of High Performance Cricket Center at Multan Cricket Stadium.
He said that Multan had produced many national cricket players and hoped that more players from here would play at international level after getting coaching and training from this center.
Legendary cricketer Inzimam said that it was honour for him that
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shahryar Khan had dedicated the High Performance Center to his (Inzimam-ul-Haq) name. He said that opening of the HPCC was first step and more academies would be set up here in coming future.
He prayed for the victims of plane crash. One minute silence was also
observed in memory of plane crash victims.
Director academies Mudassar Nazar said that players from Multan division could get coaching and training from the HPCC, adding that two weeks coaching camp was set-up at Multan Cricket Stadium in which coaching and training facilities were provided to 30 high performance fast bowlers from across the country.
He said that two teams could get coaching from this center at a time.
He said the High Performance Center would be made operational at Karachi soon while regional centers at Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan would also be established in near future. He said the HPCC would be run like National Cricket Academy.
On this occasion, head-coach Mushtaq Ahmad, PCB Chief Financial Officer Subhan Ahmad and other officials were also presented.
Later, PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan along with Inzimam-ul-Haq inaugurated the High Performance Cricket Center by cutting ribbon and also visited the various sections of the center.
Shahryar Khan named the Players Block of the center after late Aamer
Bashir, a first class cricketer who had died due to cancer in 2010.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): Angel Gurria, Secretary General of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Thursday invited Pakistan to join OECD Development Centre and offered OECD’s technical help for developing Pakistan’s National Action Plan for OGP (Open Government Partnership).
Angel Gurria stated this during a bilateral meeting with Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar in Paris, said a message received here.
The Finance Minister informed the Secretary General that the OECD Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, which he signed on 14th September, 2016 in Paris had been ratified by the Pakistani Cabinet.
He said the Pakistan Cabinet also authorized the Finance Minister for processing Pakistan’s membership to Open Government Partnership (OGP). Accordingly, he handed over Pakistani’s Letter of Intent for joining OGP to French President Fran‡ois Hollande in the OGP Global Summit held in Paris.
The OECD Secretary General welcomed Pakistan’s membership to the OGP which coupled with Pakistan’s active engagement with OECD clearly demonstrated Pakistan’s commitment to join the international mainstream fora to adopt their best practices and to a transparent and accountable governing structure.
Senator Ishaq Dar shared with the OECD Secretary General that Pakistan was currently working to meet the OECD criteria and parameters to formally apply for accession to OECD Convention on Combating Bribery.
Earlier, the Finance Minister met Sir Eric Pickels, Head of UK Anti-Corruption, on the sidelines of OGP Summit. Sir Eric congratulated the Finance Minister on joining the OGP.
The minister informed Sir Eric that Pakistan was the first country to issue a tax directory of parliamentarians and the fourth country to publish General Tax Directory of tax-payers for the three consecutive years.
They also discussed matters relating to transparency and good governance.
Denis Simonneau, the Head of European and International Relations, ENGIE, a leading French energy company also called on the Finance Minister at the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris and expressed interest of his corporate group to cooperate in the field of energy in Pakistan.
Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Tariq Bajwa, Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque also attended the meetings.
WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (APP): Efforts to normalize relations with India
and reach out to Afghanistan for peace and stability are the center-piece of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi said in Washington.
Speaking to a select gathering of foreign policy experts and US government representatives at the United States Institute of Peace, Fatemi, however, regretted the absence of any reciprocal desire on the part of some of Pakistan’s neighbours.
During his interaction, Fatemi highlighted the achievements of the government in bringing economic stability and domestic peace to Pakistan.
He dispelled any misconceptions about the China Pakistan Economic
Corridor, and said it was an economic initiative, which was open to all interested countries.
On Pakistan-US relations, the SAPM emphasized that Pakistan attached great importance to its ties with the US.
“US is an important strategic partner in both the security and economic domains for Pakistan and we look forward to building on the existing
convergences in the relationship as well as addressing mutual differences if any, through continued engagement in the weeks and months ahead as President Trump’s Administration takes charge in January next year,” Fatemi observed.
He termed encouraging some of the recent pronouncements by the President-elect indicating US willingness to play its part in helping with certain important issues facing the South Asian region.
Vice-President elect Mike Pence in a recent interview has stated that Trump intends to be fully engaged with South Asia and that his administration intends to be fully engaged with both Pakistan and India to advance peace and security.
Dilating upon Pakistan’s sacrifices and achievements in the fight against terrorism, Fatemi stated that since June 2013 the writ of the government had been established in large parts of the tribal areas and social and economic activities taking place in those areas were a testimony to this fact. This, he stated, had come at a huge cost for Pakistan.
The country had sacrificed thousands of lives of both civilian and security personnel in the fight against terrorism but its resolve to eradicate the menace remained strong as ever.
Highlighting the various steps that the government had taken to restore the country’s economic outlook, he stated that the crippling power shortages that had beset Pakistan for years, would be a thing of the past by the end of the next year.
RAWALPINDI, Dec 8 (APP): Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb Thursday said major successes had been registered in the war against terrorism during last three years, due to sagacious policies of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, support of the people and political parties, and sacrifices of the armed forces and security agencies.
Speaking as chief guest here at Rawalpindi Ideal Students Expo (RISE) 2016, she said the youth, especially students, had played a very important role in that regard by pursuing education despite attacks on their institutions.
“The terrorists attacked Army Public School and other educational institutions to terrorize the students but our young generation and their parents showed courage and foiled the conspiracy,” she said.
Marriyum said every citizen of the country, including students, had supported the government, armed forces and law enforcement agencies in the war against terrorism.
Today’s Pakistan was far more safe and secure than it was in 2013, she said adding that the valiant armed forces and security agencies had given great sacrifices in that war.
“The present democratic government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attaches top priority to the educational sector and the Prime Minister’s Educational Reform Programme is its manifestation,” she added.
The minister said under the Prime Minister’s Educational Reforms Programme three areas were being focussed – upgradation of infrastructure at 422 educational institutions of the Federal Capital, quality education and teachers training. The programme’s scope could also be expanded to Pakistan Sweet Homes, she added.
She asked the management of educational institutions to participate in the Quaid’s Week celebrations from Dec 19 to 25.
Marriyum said modern laboratories had been established in over 60 educational institutions of the Federal Capital to ensure that the public sector schoolchildren get facilities at par with those studying in private institutions.
The youth were focus of the present government as over 60 per cent Pakistani population was below 45 years of age, she said and cited youth loan, easy loans, laptop and fee reimbursement schemes launched in that regard.
She said Pakistan had made substantial progress in eradication of polio and malnutrition. A water sanitation campaign had also been launched, she added.
Appreciating the organizers of the expo, she said RISE like expositions reflected the urge of the Pakistani youth to move forward.
Earlier, Fateha was offered for the departed souls of the PIA plane crash. Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Sweet Homes Zamurd Khan and Jammat Islami leader Raza Shah also spoke on the occasion.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday said that it was strange that those who destroyed institutions during their five year rule were raising questions and levelling allegations now.
In a statement, the minister said those who ruined PIA and Pakistan Railways instead of giving expert opinion should wait for the results of experts’ investigation.
She said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was striving for restoration of the PIA, Pakistan Railways and power sectors institutions, while the PPP ruined these institutions by dubious recruitments and the nation was paying its price.
The present government was revitalizing the sick institutions and bringing them out of financial and administrative crisis, she added.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal said that government under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was fully committed to turn around its economy and develop it into a stable and truly progressive country.
According to a press statement issued here, the minister expressed these views while addressing Ministerial Conference on Transport in Moscow .
He said that his presence in Moscow conference was a manifestation of the importance Pakistan attaches to various dimensions of transport and connectivity, particularly the sustainable transport.
“In line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we are committed to build resilient and modern infrastructure to ensure among others, the provision of sustainable transport systems for all with improved road safety” said by the Minister .
While complementing the purpose of conference he said that this is indeed a vital achievement made possible by bringing together Key stakeholders from governments to engage in a dialogue on sustainable transport and its multiple roles and linkages supporting the achievement of sustainable development goals.
Ahsan Iqbal maintained that Pakistan is located at the intersection of three engines of growth in Asia, South Asia, China and Central Asia, which has three billion of world’s population.
Regional connectivity is one of the key pillars of Pakistan’s vision 2025 he said adding we have therefore embarked upon various infrastructure development programs to enhance the regional connectivity, improve efficiency of transport and trade logistics sector.
He said that in collaboration with China has initiated China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which he said is not a bilateral project between Pakistan and China relations but will serve as a fate changer not only for this region but for other regions and world including Middle East, Europe and Western countries .
CPEC will help overcome the energy crisis, increasing power generation capacity and fulfilling the electricity needs of the country.
Similarly, the government has taken projects for upgrading the transmission and distribution system.
Apart from focusing on energy and infrastructure, CPEC will also improve the quality of life through social and economic interventions.
It also seeks to establish special economic zones, which will create tremendous trade and economic opportunities while this also include development of airport at Gwadar and construction of eastern, western and central alignments would connect all the provinces and regions.
Federal Minister said that Pakistan was also actively pursuing road and rail connectivity projects under Central Asia Region Economic Cooperation (CAREC) framework, which aim at integrating Central Asia into a vibrant economic region with global links.
Ahsan Iqbal said that government was giving the highest priority to sustainable transport means through sound policies and harmonized standards.
The commuters of its three major cities i.e. Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Lahore have already taken a sigh of relief because of the operationalization of mass transit systems.
Similar mass transit systems are being constructed in other cities namely Karachi and Multan.
These projects will not only benefit millions of commuters and bring transportation systems of these major cities at par with the developed countries of the world but will also go along way in promoting the sustainable transport means in the country.
He apprised the conference that road safety has been included in the National Transport Policy of Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Thursday called Taimoor Jamshed, son of Junaid Jamshaid and condoled with him on his father’s death in a PIA plane crash near Havelian on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister prayed for the departed soul.
The Prime Minister also called father of Osama Warraich, deputy Commissioner Chitral and condoled with him on the death of his outstanding son, daughter-in-law and grand daughter.
The Prime Minister prayed for the departed souls, said a press release issued by the PM House here.
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